Saleen turns to Tesla Model S for its first battery-powered effort

First attempt likely to be appearance and suspension changes only.

Late last week, high-performance tuner Saleen Automotive announced that its next project would be an "upgraded" version of the Tesla Model S. The announcement comes seven months after the company merged with the previously unknown W270, Inc. The June 2013 press release contained a single line at the bottom about Saleen "developing high-performance electric vehicles targeting the zero-emissions segment."

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Over the past three decades, Steve Saleen's eponymous company has become best known for reworking Ford Mustangs, other muscle cars, and even SUVs in order to give them unique looks and higher degrees of performance. To date, Saleen has only produced one complete vehicle, the mid-engined S7, which sold in low volumes and did reasonably well in European GT racing in the mid-2000s.

With the news that the Model S would become the canvas for Saleen's new effort, we reached out to both Tesla and Saleen for more details. We've yet to hear back from Saleen, but Tesla spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean told RoadandTrack.com that the Palo Alto, California-based EV maker has "no involvement" in the project.

At this point, we can reasonably assume that Saleen's take on the Model S will include at least a more aggressive body kit and probably some interior changes like new seats. On the mechanical side, a retuned suspension should be a pretty straightforward effort.

The big unknown is whether or not the Saleen engineers will attempt to make any modifications to the powertrain. The Model S is already a very quick machine, but working with an electric powerplant is a very different proposition than bolting a supercharger and new heads onto a big, old V8. Since Saleen isn't receiving any engineering support from Tesla, they may opt to leave the electric drive stock on this first go and focus on the bits that they do know how to change.

Saleen hasn't given any indication of when their Model S variant will be available or how much it will cost.